Steering-gear.



WITNESSES I APPLICATION FILED JUNE13. I917.

Patented May 21,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IN VEN TOR w. R. HEWITT. STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED 1'UNE l3, I9|7- 1,26,944. Patented May 21,1918,

' WITNESSES:

ATIOBNEYB W, R. HEWITT.

STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION HLEDJUNE13. I91]. I '1 ,266,944. Patented May 21,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- wmmassms: I INVENTOR M M I W EZZz'a/n a L/ BY/JMMWWQ Ammwnys rice.

WILLIAM R. HEWITT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

srnnRIne-ennn.

' Application filed June 13, 1917. Serial No. 174,478.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. HEWITT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Steering-Gears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a steering gear for vessels. 7

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a power-operated steering gear which is simple and substantial in construction and adapted to be readily attached to any standard form of hand-operated steering gear now employed. Another object of the invention is to provide a steering gear of the character described which may be driven from a continuously revolving driving unit, such as an electric motor or the like, and which is sov arranged and connected that temporary or permanent disablement of the power driving unitwill not interfere with the operation of the hand steering gear. Further objects will hereinafter appear.

The invention consists of the parts and the. construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the steering ear. g Fig. 2 is a front view of same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, horizontal, longitudin'al section through the clutch transmission.

-- Fig. 4 isaplan view of. Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows the secondary shaft arranged to bedriven from the propeller shaft.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A indicates the rudder post on the vessel, 2 the quadrant or tiller secured to same, 3 and 4 the tiller ropes, 5 and 6 the winding and unwinding drums, 7 a gear secured upon each drum, 8 an intermediate gear meshing with saidgears, 9 the steering wheel shaft, and 10 the steering wheel. Mounted in approximate alinement with the steering wheel shaft 9 and below same isa main shaft 11 which is continuously driven by an electric motor 12, and mounted on one side of the shaft 11 in parallelism with same is a secondary shaft 13. Turnably mounted on the shaft 13 is a pair of interspaced gears 14 and 15, and formed on the interior face of each gear is a cone face 16 which is adapted to cooperate with a double cone clutch 17, keyed or otherwise rigidly secured upon the shaft 13. The shaft is otherwise mounted in bearings 18, and a collar 19, secured on the shaft adapted to be operated by aforked lever 20, permits the shaft to bemoved in the bear; ings in one direction or the other to throw the clutch 17 into engagement with one or the other of the cone faces of the gears 14 and 15.

Secured on the driving shaft 11 and intermeshlng with gear 15 is a driving. pinion 21 and secured on'the same shaft, in alinement with gear 14, is a driving pinion 22 which lntermeshes with a reversing pinion 23 positioned so as to be constantly in mesh with the gears 14 and 22. Power transmitted through the gears2l and 22 will in this man ner revolve the gear 14 in one direction and the gear 15 in the opposite direction, thereby permitting the secondary shaft 13 to be turned in either direction through means of the clutch .17,

. Secured on the secondary shaftis a pulley 24 and secured on the rear face of the steering wheel 10 is a pulley 25. A cable or belt 26, carried by said pulleys, permits power to be transmitted from the secondary shaft to turn the steering wheel and said steering wheel when turned will, of course, transmit lever 29 and attached to said lever is a rope 30, the free end of which is adapted to be secured on a cleat 31. The idlers 28 when rocked by the arms 29, through means of the rope 30, permit the belt 26 to be quickly tightened or slackened, as will hereinafter be described. a

- Q Secured on the secondary shaft is a brake drum 32 and surrounding said brake drum is a band 33 which is adapted to be slackened or tightened in the usual manner by a footoperated treadle 34 positioned within convenient reach of the quartermaster or other individual handling the steering. Pivotally mounted in front of the wheel in a bracket 35 is a lever 36 which will hereinafter be tinuously revolving and transmitting power to turn the gears 14 and 15 in opposite directionsfit can be seen "that the secondary shaft will stand idle as long as the clutch 17 assumes an intermediate position between {the cofiperating cone faces formed on "the respective :gears. lMovement of lever '36 about its pivot in the bracket 35 will, however, transmit movement through the link 37 and therarm 20 to move the shaft 13 andplutoh 1 7 into engagement with One'Orlth'e other of the clutches. Power is transmitted to :revolve the secondary shaft :in one direction or the other and this turning movement of the shaft is in turn transmitted through the belt 2'6rto' the steering wheel "drums '5 and 6, tiller ropes {and the 'qua'drant t'o turn the rudder in the desiredfliredtion. Quick and responsive action', as far as the rudder or helm is concerned, is'in this manner secured and it is also possible *to lock the steering wheel, together with the rudder controlled thereby, in any position desired by merely stepping *on the foot treadle 34 as this treadle, when :actuated, tightens the brake band on ithe' drum 32, thereby docking the shaft againstturning. The rudder, if tu'rned hard to one side or the other may, therefore, be held without; depending uponthe clutches as long as desired, thereby relieving the clutches of excessive wear and abuse.

If the motor 12 'or any of the driven parts connected therewith should become temporarily 'or permanently disabled, it is possible to operate the steering gear 'by the handwheel 10, this being accomplished by slackening'the belt 26 through means'ofIthe-rope 30, lever 29 and theidIerS QS. l h'ese, when thrown out of engagement with the belt, slacken the belt*to-such an extent that the steeringwheelmay be free'lyturned without affecting the rest of the connected mechanism. Y

While the "motive :power h'ere employed is indicated by an electric motor, it is {obvious thata'ny other sourceof power, such as steam,gas, or the like may be employed. I also wish it understood that various changes in form, proportions and iminor-details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims and that I'do not wish 'to limit myself tothe specific design and construction here shown.

It is also possible to :drive thesecondary shaft from the propeller shaft, as illustrated in the modification shown in Fig 5.

Having thus 'des'cribed'my invention, what .I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patllatte'rao neutral and reverse lpositions, means I actuated by the driven imeans tonperate the steering wheel, means ito !lock the driven means 1 against movement iin neutral p osition, means connected to the lockingimeans and fop'erable from pdint=adjacent rthe lever to effect =looking ofthe driven uneans: and therethrough the steering' wheel, :anduneans ialso operable from a point adj acent=the llever for enabling ma"n'u'al 'controlwof the :steering wheel during'operation ofthe driving aneans and with the :driven means locked.

2. lincornbination with rthersteering wheel of :a vessel, continuously actuated driving :m'eans, reversible and shiftabledrivenzmeans operated by said driving. smeans, means for shifting sa'ididri-ven :means to neutral and zreverse positions, ,Imeans to ilock said driven means in neutral iposition,:means .to operate the steering wheel from said :driiven .rmeans,

and means toien'ablezmanual operation-otf' the a steering wheel-with said driven means in locked position and during operation of the driving mean-s.

3. In combination with the steer'ingwheel of "a vessel, continuously Lactuated driving means, a belt connected to the wheel andssaid driving meansi'for operatingthe :former. from the latter, means to normally rtension tthe belt to cause same to drive the wheel, and

means operable at will and from a position adjacent the steering wheel whereby 'to enable :release of said tensioning. means *so as to allow slipp age of the wheel and :manual driving means.

Li-testimony whereof I I have hereunto set my hand in "the presence of tw'o subscribing witnesses.

"WI IYJLIAM R. HEWITT.

Witnesses; A

JOHN :HJHERRING, WV. VVPHEA'LEYJ m 10f patent may bembtaine'd forl'five cents eachfinyadfiressing-the Commissioner of 'lPatents,

I Washin-gtonyl). G.

turning 'of the :latter independent 'of the 

